Agh!! I keep forgetting to de-select an area when I'm done with it!

[jayUSA]

Hello Photoshop Junkies,

I am forever having to re-perform certain elementary photoshop tasks because I keep forgetting to de-select an area when I'm done with it!

Typically, it happens like this:

1) I highlight a rectangle (to perform some task) using the marquee tool
2) Then I forget to deselect the area by clicking elsewhere with the marquee tool
3) I begin another task oblivious to the fact that I have left a small rectangle selected as the focus for the first task
4) I have to undo and redo the second task because I accidentally left an area selected!!

It is especially easy to make this mistake when I zoom in on my image, and the previously (and still) selected area moves off the screen.

Is there some easy way to instantly SEE if any subset of the image is actively selected. Ideally, I'd like to find a photoshop plugin or something that turns the image title bar bright red whenever a subset of the image is actively selected with the marquee tool. Does anything like that exist?

What other ways are there to prevent myself from making this mistake another 6000 times?

Thanks for your ideas,

Jay

 

[apepp]

...choose:

select > deselect (apple/commmand 'D' or control 'D')

...or press you 'q' key to enable quick mask to see if a selection is active, it will turn red...

Andrew